The present invention is related to bicycles and bicycle carriers, and more specifically to a beam releasably securable between the seat post and handle bars of a bicycle to enable the bicycle to be mounted on a vehicle-mounted bicycle carrier rack.
In order to transport bicycles from one place to another, a number of vehicle-mounted bicycle racks have been developed. These racks enable bicycles to be supported on the rear of a vehicle for transportation along with the vehicle. Certain racks utilize a support arrangement that engages a generally horizontal top tube extending across the top of the frame of the bicycle, such that the bicycle is carried in a suspended manner by engagement of the support arrangement with the top tubes.
Conventional bicycle frames designed for females do not have a top tube which can be utilized to support the bicycle on a rack. Further, with recent advancements in bicycle frame technology, many other bicycle frames are configured without a top tube. Such bicycle frames thus require use of a removable bicycle beam in order to support the bicycle in a suspended manner on a vehicle-mounted bicycle rack which has a support arrangement adapted to engage the top tube of a bicycle frame.
Removable bicycle beams or bars have been developed so as to enable bicycle frames without a conventional top tube to be carried in a suspended manner on a bicycle carrier. A removable bicycle beam or bar is temporarily secured between the handle bar stem and seat post of the bicycle in order to enable a bicycle without a top tube to be mounted to and transported by a suspension-type vehicle-mounted bicycle carrier. The beam or bar is adjustable to fit bicycles having varying distances between the handle bar stem and the seat post.
Known bicycle beams are generally in the form of a telescoping bar having a seat post mounting arrangement at one end and a handle bar stem mounting arrangement at the opposite end. The seat post mounting arrangement and the handle bar stem mounting arrangement are generally similar in construction. In one known prior art bicycle beam, a U-shaped bracket is engaged via a cross pin with each end of the telescoping bar. The bracket can be selectively disengaged from the cross pin to allow either the seat post or the handle bar stem to be received within the bracket, and bracket is subsequently reengaged with the cross pin. In another form, a hook-type member is mounted to each end of the telescoping bar, and is engageable with either the seat post of the handle bar stem. A pivotable latch bar is mounted to the end of the telescoping bar, and is movable between an open position which allows the seat post or handle bar stem to be engaged with the hook member, and a closed position in which the latch bar cooperates with the hook member to maintain the seat post or handle bar stem in engagement with the hook member. The latch bar is mounted to a horizontal cross pin, such that the latch bar is movable in a vertical direction between its open and closed positions.
While these types of bicycle beams function satisfactorily to allow a bicycle to be mounted to a suspension-type carrier, each has certain drawbacks in ease of use and in the manner in which the bicycle beam is secured to the handle bar stem and seat post. The bracket type mounting arrangement involves several steps in opening the bracket, engaging the bracket with the bicycle, and then engaging the bracket with the cross pin. The hook-type mounting arrangement requires separate manual operations in opening the latch bar, extending the telescoping bar an amount sufficient to engage the hook members with the seat post and handle bar stem, shortening the telescoping bar to engage the hook members with the respective seat and handle bar stems, and then moving each latch bar to its closed position.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved removable bicycle beam for use with a bicycle frame that does not include a top tube, for enabling the bicycle to be engaged with a bicycle carrier in a suspended manner.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a removable bicycle beam that has a relatively simple construction and is adaptable to fit bicycles having a variety of lengths between the handle bar stem and the seat post.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide such a removable bicycle beam that has an easily engagable and disengagable securing mechanism for releasably engaging one or both of its ends with the handle bar stem and/or seat post of the bicycle.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a removable bicycle beam in which the securing mechanism is formed such that the mechanism does not damage the handle bar stem or seat post when the beam is secured to the bicycle.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a bicycle beam in which the securing mechanism defines a wide opening when the mechanism is opened in order to allow for easy attachment of the beam to the handle bar stem or seat post of the bicycle.
The present invention is a removable bicycle beam securable to a bicycle between the handle bar stem and seat post of the bicycle. The beam provides a horizontal bar extending between the handle bar stem and seat post of the bicycle that is engagable with a vehicle-mounted bicycle rack adapted to secure a horizontal member of a bicycle frame to enable the bicycle to be secured to and transported by the rack.
The beam is formed of a pair of telescoping tubular members. The tubular members are slidably engaged with one another to enable the beam to be adjusted in length, according to the distance between the handle bar stem and seat post of the bicycle.
The beam defines a pair of spaced apart ends, at least one of which includes an engagement arrangement or securing mechanism that is releasably engagable with the handle bar stem and/or seat post of the bicycle. In a preferred form, a similarly constructed releasable securing mechanism is provided at both ends of the beam. The releasable securing mechanism includes a pair of arms secured to an end of the beam. A first one of the arms is fixedly attached to the end of the beam, and a second one of the arms is pivotally secured to the beam for movement toward and away from the first arm. The pivoting second arm is releasably engagable with a detent mechanism associated with the beam that retains the pivoting arm in a closed position, in which the first and second arms are in engagement with each other. When in the closed position, the first and second arms define a closed opening or space within which the handle bar stem or seat post of the bicycle is received. When the releasable securing mechanism is disengaged, the second arm is pivoted away from the first arm to an open position, in which a gap is defined between the ends of the first and second arms. The gap allows the bicycle seat post or handle bar stem to be moved into or out of the space between the first and second arms.
The first and second arms include a mating retainer arrangement which maintains the arms together against vertical forces applied to the arms in use, which would otherwise tend to separate the arms. The mating retainer arrangement may be in the form of a notch formed in the end of one of the arms, and a mating tab formed at the end of the other arm. The notch is releasably engaged with the when the pivoting arm is in the closed position. The engagement of the tab and the notch ensures that the fixed and pivoting arms of the securing mechanism do not slide apart with respect to one another when engaged around the seat post or handle bar stem of the bicycle.
Both the fixed and securing arms also include a relatively soft resilient material disposed along an area defined by each arm. The resilient material is in an area which contacts the handle bar stem or seat post of the bicycle, as well as the handle bars or seat when the beam is engaged with the bicycle. The resilient material engages the securing mechanism with the bicycle and prevents damage to the bicycle frame from the securing mechanism when the mechanism rubs against the bicycle components during use.